View allAll Photos Tagged SW1500
The 1:30pm Christmas Eve Polar Express on the Morristown & Erie is seen crossing Hog Pen Bridge..
ME Polar Express
ME GP7u #23
ME SW1500 #20
CP 9781 leads the way of CP 240 as it meets BRC SW1500 151 on the Nabisco local and CN 2713 on the point of CN U767 at Hayford Junction within the South Side of Chicago, IL.
Akron Barberton Cluster Railway's 1967 SW1500 1502 makes way thru downtown Barberton in route to interchange with the CSX at Akron. From there the job will work various industry in and around Akron.
NSHR-2 backs down Fifth Street in the once-prosperous mining town of Shamokin, Pennsylvania with one car for Shamokin Carbons.
Switching the car repair facility. Last info I can find reports this unit was working at Ash Grove Cement at Louisville, Nebraska.
A North Shore SW1500 passes a collection of interesting buildings along West Water Street in downtown Shamokin. It's hard to imagine at one time Reading freight trains on this same track headed for Sunbury and Williamsport.
The Chicago Short Line once again backs its train over the Calumet River at CP 509 to get back to its yard at South Chicago after interchanging with the BRC at Commercial Avenue. The CSL originally used the ex-B&O bridge to cross the Calumet River and reach the Belt until 1988 when a Greek salty mangled and destroyed the bridge's span. Today, the CSL has to zig-zag across the ex-PRR bridge at 509 to reach Commercial Avenue from its own rails due to the lack of a direct crossover.
The right-of-way I am standing on was part of the PRR Cummings Branch which was removed sometime in the 1970s. In the background are the three-and-a-half remaining railroad bridges over the Calumet River at 509 and the Skyway Toll Bridge, all of which were featured in the Blues Brothers.
Morristown & Erie SW1500 20 shoves a work train across Half Moon Trestle in Passaic on September 22, 2020. The work train is being positioned in Island Yard to transport ripped up ties and rail out of Passaic.
Parked on the New Dock, Track 827, just clear of the state line on the Missouri side is the Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad's former CN GMD-1, basking in the afternoon sun on a pleasant Spring afternoon. Within the last month, the numbers under the cab were touched up, the short hood repainted and a new decal has been added, a KC "wet noodle" resembling CN's logo. This is one half of the KCRR's roster, joining a former Frisco SW1500.
Nearby, UP train MASHN-09 eases west up to Kaw Tower on Main Track 1 of the UP KC Metro Sub.
The Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad is a property of Jaguar Transport Holdings, LLC, which began operations March 5, 2025 at the former UP State Line Yard, serving industries in the West Bottoms along the UP KC Metro Sub.
This uniquely Canadian switcher is the first of its kind to be in service in Kansas City. Built by General Motors Diesel, the EMD Canadian subsidiary, at London, Ontario between 1958 and 1960, a total of 101 were produced, 96 for Canadian National and the remaining 5 for Northern Alberta Railways. These were based on the SW1200 design with a 12-cylinder 567C prime mover, though these had longer carbodies on either Flexicoil A1A-A1A or B-B trucks. These were originally exclusively used in Canada and intended for use on prairie branch lines, but they became more a yard switcher as CN abandoned and sold their branch lines. Eventually, all GMD-1's became a part of CN's roster after absorbing the NAR in 1981.
In the 1980's, CN rebuilt their fleet and renumbered them to the 1100, 1400 and 1600 series. Most were rebuilt with B-B trucks and were kept to run long-hood forward, however some retained A1A-A1A trucks and converted to run short-hood forward. By 2000, all the 1600's were renumbered into the 1400 series and traded their A1A-A1A trucks for B-B, and the 1100 series lasted until 2006 before being retired.
CN had scrapped a few, but several were sold to short lines and leasers and made their way into the states, mostly the Pacific Northwest. 20 of them even made it all the way down to Cuba of all places. CN finally retired their own in April of 2021.
Our GMD-1 emerged from London, ON in August of 1958 as the CN No. 1022 with the A1A-A1A trucks. It was rebuilt in 1989 as the CN No. 1415 with the B-B trucks it currently has. It remained with CN for a couple more decades before being retired and sold from the roster. It had previously been owned by Western Rail Inc. as the WRIX No. 1415, having been a resident in Washington and Oregon and even used on the Coos Bay Rail Line and the Oregon Eastern. Now, it'll live in Kansas City's West Bottoms as the second engine for a brand new short line managed by Jaguar Transport Holdings, LLC. Quite a far cry from the Canadian prairies it once ruled. 5/10/25.
An SW1500 is working the west end of Choteau Ave Yard(?) as seen from the Tower Grove Avenue overpass, while in the background, 3 Frisco SD45's are approaching the Grand Ave. plant with the empty red coal train. I wish I could take a mulligan right here and go back to chase that empty coal train. In the background, a sharp eye can spot the top of the Arch peeking above the skyline. 7-19-1980
CSX SW1500 1129 had a former Family Lines transfer caboose and a Winchester and Western hopper rolling through Carroll Interlocking in Baltimore.
Built for the Louisville and Nashville by EMD in 1972, the 1129 was looking good in the "classic" CSX YN2 paint. After CSX was finished with it, the old thing would wind up working for the Wisconsin Central and would finish up in Canadian National paint.
A Transfer job with KCS 4334 and KCS 4337. This is wyeing around from the KCT to the KCS at Sheffield Jct. A pair of SW1500's doing the honors, one in white and one in the new gray paint. Scanned from SFW negative.
Haven't seen these two ex-UP repaints together in many moons, but they worked the yard all day like this. Although they faked me out by not proceeding north with this train, I did manage to get them backing past the "Metro Man" power parked on the lead to Metro East Industries at Alorton, IL, led by what I believe to be one of the last, if not THE last operating ALS switcher on the system. The rest are parked in the dead line at MEI.
Special delivery!
A Conrail SW1500 shoves South Shore "Little Joe" 802 and a bay window caboose through Harbor Creek, PA for about ten miles from downtown Erie to the Lake Shore Railway Museum in North East, PA. The catenary for GE's test track can be seen behind the diesel. March 1995.
A Union Pacific SW1500 works former Rio Grande Fourth South Yard trackage in Salt Lake City, Utah the morning of Sept. 4, 1999. UP 1139 was built Southern Pacific 2560 by EMD in Feb. 1970.
Central Midland Railway endcabs 1521 and 1550 head East past a hidden cliff and pond between Labadie and St. Albans with the biweekly run from Union to Maryland Heights, MO. I saw the pond on the map and thought it might be a clear shot across to the tracks; what I didn't know was that a cliff about 150 to 200 feet tall surrounded the pond across the tracks. Any access to the edge was extremely difficult as a steep drop and dense trees led toward the edge all around. This is the only clear spot I could find and it's only about five feet of clear surface before a straight 150 foot drop down to the water which is the edge seen in the photo. The Labadie coal plant can be seen in the distance where the two road switchers spent some 30-45 minutes picking up the fly-ash hoppers on the head end. From my elevated viewpoint I was able to see them switching in the distance at the plant for a while before they appeared here about an hour after I had set up. Labadie, MO
I have always liked railroads that operate with's and prefer if they are operated in multiple that they are back to back. Long on the list of shortlines to photograph was the Alexander with their pristine motive power power. SW1500 painted in a Southern inspire paint scheme is headed for the NS interchange with a small train near Stony Creek, NC. Another check mark has been made.
After working its way back west through their State Line Yard, the aptly-named Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad makes its last moves, before tying up for the day.
In addition to the ex-CN GMD-1, their recently-repainted (in MoPac colors, no less!) SW1500 no. 3408 is seen in the background. These two units comprise the entire roster of the railroad, and while not massive, it packs a ton of Coolness points.
While the Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad has been running since March, this is the first time that I've shot them moving, and in sunlight, as they're a M-F operation, starting in the mornings. Fortunately, for this first Monday after Christmas, they were still working well into the afternoon, allowing me this shot.
A short Akron Barberton Cluster train returning from Rittman passes the former Erie station (now a restaurant) in Barberton. It's hard to believe at one time this line was double-tracked and hosted hot EL piggyback trains.
SP 2568 and 2468 lead a westbound around the by-pass at the east end of West Colton yard as seen from the Pepper St. overpass on cloudy January 6, 1985. Up front are 28 "Tank Train" cars. If you couldn't see the mixed freight just coming underneath the Palmdale Cut-off, you could make the argument that this was mighty strange power for a unit oil train.
Union Railroad SW1500 #1 lets out a plume of smoke while moving a cut of gondolas around in the Valley Yard at East Pittsburgh, PA. The steel mill complex behind the train is US Steel's Edgar Thomson Works which produces a net tonnage of 2.9 million tons of steel annually.
I spent multiple years trying to replicate one my all time favorite Union Railroad photos with something like this. It's not quite similar to what John Ireland got 10 years and change prior to my photo: www.railpictures.net/photo/155621/
But I am nonetheless pleased.
After working the transfer point in Waterford, AL the WGCR heads back to Enterprise, AL with a GP38-3 leading and an SW1500 in trail.
A SW1500 switcher for Mexican Business Parts SA de CV (BPMX 1597) is on President's Island at Memphis, Tennessee,
Two SW1500’s still in Manufactures paint lay right besides the Manufacturers Railway shops both the engines and the building are owned by different companies now, MEI Owns the shops and gets switched out by TPLX which is also the same railroad that owns the MRS engines
OmniTrax switchers formerly a CP SW1500 and CSP SW1000 are at Fulco in Atlanta, Georgia. September 2003 (Slide Scan)
Westbound Conrail Local WHWC21 creeps upgrade through Tremont, PA on May 12, 1988 with SW1500 No. 9527 and MP15 No. 9627. The conductor is riding the front step of the lead unit, checking clearances between it and the parked cars. In a couple of cases, it was a mere few inches.
IHB #1511 pulls a cut of empty mill gondolas and loaded steel coils through CP 502 behind the former Inland Steel offices and plant. In the background are Indiana Harbor blast furnaces #3 and #4, both idled and likely never to be used again.
Video: youtu.be/U3htFLMP2fU
PGR 36 and 34 work Brunk Plastic's after a heavy snowfall, back in February. These units look amazing in MN&S colors, and the 36 is a former MN&S unit, running on home rails!
15.Feb.2024, Bloomington, MN
...on the Central Midland Railway, seen here working industries at Union, MO.
The CMR operates former Rock Island trackage in and around Olivette in the St. Louis area out to Union.
IHB 119 brings steel coils across Riley Road outside the Cleveland-Cliffs West Coating mill, formerly the LTV #2 sheet mill, in Marktown.
The 309 Blue River job was going on duty at 10am and using the Triclops pair most of the time last year. It would normally pass by here going east at 11 or 12, and then come back west a couple of hours later.
Well due to both of said Triclops being broken for a while, the railroad was using any power they could. This here was the pinnacle of "any power we have", and other than this they only had one GP39-2 to spare, which was solo on 2 other transfers this day.
Even crazier is that this train went east through here not but an hour prior with 60 cars to drag up the hill and double into Blue River. Also miraculously, as they were doubling in, a UP 12,000 footer snuck south across the diamonds at Sheffield and didn't imped any KCT movement.
Meanwhile the 1507 just barely fit the inbound into 2 tracks, ran west to the other end of the yard, coupled onto the outbound cars which were aired up and brakes knocked by the 505 crew, and took off not 2 minutes after coupling up. I think a whole 5 minutes went by from the time they dropped the second cut of inbounds to calling traffic control with new totals and getting a lineup west. Any more minutes and this shot was shadowed and smoked out.
KCTLY-309-18
September 18, 2023 6:15PM
Yes, Mark, it's for real! This is a re-tread thanks to Lightroom.
It was taken only a week before my first paid trip on the railroad - 6 June'72 on #19, the Extra 106 South, and yes, Mark, the 106 was an F-unit, original Rock heritage. This A-B pair of ex-Union Pacific F9's had recently been acquired and quickly repainted; some would get the full Rock red'n'yellow treatment, but for now it's paint'em, slap that red herald on the nose, and put those loud and proud Nathan P5 horns on the roof. My return trip from Waurika, Oklahoma, a week later was on one of these things and that horn was just about ten feet from my head when I leaned out to check the train on a left-hand curve. The engineer wasn't trying to deafen the new brakeman for fun; I turned to see four or five of Oklahoma's best beef-on-the-hoof loping away between the rails. Sadly that P5 horn was their call to glory, but at least they had enjoyed some fine "johnson grass" for a last meal.
Another of the many ways that the Rock Island was trying to ease the motive power shortage was shown in the pair of Southern Pacific SW1500's - 2637 and 2640 - that we were delivering to SP in Texas (I think the Texas taxes made the place better for taking delivery of brand new locos.) We were happy to deliver their brand new SD45's and SW1500's as long as we could take them for a test drive first! The air conditioning in the cabs of the SD45's were greatly appreciated on the head end in the summer furnace of the Southern Plains. The furthest SW1500, the 2640, was beginning its career and so was I, but we would meet again....